


SANE, or Maybe Not; The New Lives of a Djinn and a Prince, as the World Continues to Become a Much Darker Place

by OutlandishLuminary



Series: Kingdomstuck or SANE [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Albino Karkat Vantas, Aldiereon is across the sea, And technically, At least no one important dies, Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, But they look human, Claustrophobia, Djinni & Genies, Eldium is old and a forest, Except Karkat and Sollux, Genocide, Half-Human, Half-Siblings, Hallucinations, Harems, Humanstuck, I say look human, If you don't see their eyes they look human, Immortality, Immortals, Isolation, King LaStrider is totally Uther Pendragon, Kingdoms, Lonely Karkat, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Past Torture, Princes & Princesses, SO, Stelten is sort of like Camelot in Merlin, Swords, Three kindoms, Torture, War, Well - Freeform, Whipping, and sollux just has heterochromia, mostly - Freeform, red eyes are sometimes seen with albinos, their eyes could be very rare mutations, though not as red as karkat's
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-16
Updated: 2016-01-15
Packaged: 2018-05-01 21:16:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5221124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OutlandishLuminary/pseuds/OutlandishLuminary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karkat Vantas has been trapped in a bottle for 413 years. He is unwittingly released by one Prince Dave LaStrider. Adventures ensue as the two boys muddle their way through court drama, family problems, various dungeons, and mental break-downs. Featuring Gamzee, the Ancient King and voice in Karkat's head. </p>
<p>All relationships besides JakeDirk are past. Dave has brown eyes for plot reasons. And no, I did not misspell English.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to Stelten

==> Be the Lonely Djinn  
Karkat sits on the window ledge in his bottle, staring out the window at the outside world. He sighs. Not much has changed in 413 years, and yet it seems like so much has. The world outside has shaped around his bottle. A grand old oak tree has grown in the last hundred years, its roots looping and swerving around his prison-like home. He had watched it grow from a tiny acorn, unassuming and unimportant.  
Karkat had been trapped in this bottle for years. After a week, he'd started talking to himself. Karkat had tried to stay busy, writing down the story of his very long life. He learned to draw. The worst time was when he was in the marsh because there was nothing to see. After three days there, the memories had started to appear. He tried to resist, but he was starting to lose control. He completely lost the next ninety-eight years, trapped in memories of his own past, of people and places long forgotten by the outside world.  
After the memories finally left him alone, he imagined he was set free from his eternal prison. Over and over, until one day he saw the light of the sun. It poured in through his window and he laughed. Finally, he had a chance of escape! But it never happened. A small acorn landed next to his bottle in the rut where a weaving riverbank once was. And he watched the world change from his vantage point on the forest floor. After the first year on land, he had sucked all the energy out of the grass around him. He had tried to pace himself, letting the grass grow back. He was starving. He grew thinner every day, colder. After what felt like a very long time indeed, the tree was large enough to use, and use it he had. The little acorn had saved him.   
Suddenly, there is a hand in front of the window, and Karkat sits up and sees the door open. There is a bright light from the ancient magic and he feels himself being pulled out and through the door. He is outside. He is out at last!  
==> Be the Curious Prince  
Dave sees a glint of red glass in the roots of the old oak tree. It looks like... A bottle? He reaches in. The bottle is trapped by smaller roots that have curled around it. He draws his sword and cuts off the curling roots. He pulls. The bottle comes out with a pop. Sword still in hand, he reaches for the ancient looking cork. It come out with a squeak and a *pop*. Suddenly, there is a flash of white. He immediately slashes with his sword. The pale boy trips backwards, so the slash is just across his cheek. Red on white. His eyes widen, and he stares at Dave. Dave stares back.  
==> Be the Djinn  
This is not how Karkat imagined his first time out of the bottle in 413 years. The boy looks to be around 17. He seems unsure, as if he did not mean to let you out. The cut on your cheek confirms it. You get on your feet, slowly, determined to die standing, at the very least. Your collar slips. Your brand is showing. You quickly cover it up.  
==> Be the Confused Prince  
Ok, what just happened? One minute, you were opening the bright red glass bottle you found in the tree roots, and the next there is a white boy in front of you. And you've hurt him. And when you say white, you mean white. Everything, from his hair, to his skin, to his clothes, is white. The only thing breaking up the monochrome are his eyes. They're red. The color of blood. It chills you to your core, those eyes. And that mark- this boy is a djinn, enemy of the kingdom. The boy speaks, his voice scratchy from disuse.  
"If you're going to kill me, just do it. I've been trapped in that bottle, alone, for over four hundred years."  
==> Be Karkat  
You close your eyes and brace yourself for the sword you're sure will come. After a bit, you open your eyes. The boy has lowered his sword.  
==>  
Did this strange boy- djinn, dammit, djinn! - just tell you he was stuck alone in a tiny space for over four hundred years?!?! And now he expects you to kill him. But you can't. You know your father would in an instant. But... You lower your sword. This boy, djinn, whatever he is, is completely vulnerable, helpless and harmless. The boy slowly opens one eye, then the other. He frowns at you, a silent question. "Why?" it seems to ask. You pick up the bottle from where you'd dropped it. "Come on." You turn towards the castle and start walking. You don't know what you're doing, but you'll figure it out once you get there.  
==>  
Did that boy expect you to follow him? Yes, it seems so. "Do you got a better plan, Karbro?" You shake your head, swipe at the blood on your cheek, and follow the strange boy.


	2. Revelations and Mobs

==> Be the Perplexed Prince  
You reach the castle. You tell the djinn boy to wait outside. What am I even doing?!? Letting a menace to the kingdom inside the castle? What's wrong with me? I should just turn him in to Father and end this nonsense. Dave walks to the king's chambers, fulling intending to do just that.  
==> Be the Djinn Boy  
Did the boy just abandon you? You feel a throbbing sense of loss as the only person you've talked to in 413 years walks away. You would cry, but you occupy yourself by cleaning up instead. You lick your fingers and wipe the dried blood off your cheek. He has to come back. He has to! You pace, worrying at your lip.  
==>   
When you get to your father's throne room, someone else is there. Dirk, your older brother. "What do you mean, I'm not your heir? I'm the eldest of the three of us, Rose can't rule by herself, and Dave knows nothing of politics!" "You're not my son. You're the queen's son. You're a bastard child." There is silence. What? How? Dirk's not... Dirk's not your brother?!?! "You are not my heir. Now get out." There is a swish of cloth and the door opens. Dirk rushes past you. You do not want to talk to your father today. You open a secret door to the outside. You see an unexpected scene and your jaw drops before you grit your teeth and dive into the fray.  
==> Earlier…  
You honestly had not meant to start this. But the merchant had been staring at you. He hadn't even looked away when you stared back. "What the fuck do you want?" His eyes snap to your face, to your blood-red eyes. The man screams. "Monster! Monster!" A crowd comes rushing through the streets, as if they were waiting for that. The merchant shoves you to the ground. You land hard on your elbow. You start bleeding. You try to get up and run, but the newly formed crowd traps you inside a circle as the merchant trips you. The first kick comes without warning, knocking the air out of you. You brace yourself for the next kick. You hear a shout. There is a Schlink! as a sword is drawn. The kick never comes. You look up to see the boy from before, the one who had abandoned you outside. Seems like he's finally come back. You sit up. The crowd disperses. The boy puts out a hand and pulls you up. He is surprisingly strong. He walks towards the open door in the wall, making sure you are following him.  
==> Be the Princely Intervention  
The djinn boy got himself mobbed. So stupid. Why didn't I think this would happen? Even if they didn't know he's a djinn, he looks strange enough to draw them. "Hey! Back off!" You draw your sword when people don't move, and march straight through the crowd. The boy doesn't look too bad. You let out a sigh as he sits up to look at you. He's so relieved that it shows on his face. You reach out a hand and pull him up. He's lighter than you expected. You turn, keeping an eye on the mob as you lead him inside.


	3. Nice to Meet You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't put your life in someone's hands  
>  They're bound to steal it away  
>  Don't hide your mistakes  
>  'Cause they'll find you, burn you  
>  Then he said  
>  If you want to get out alive,  
>  Run for your life

==> Be the Djinn Boy  
The boy, rescuer or death, leads you into the castle. You don't remember this castle existing the last time you were out. You stay very close to the boy, who seems to not want you dead. Well, less than the others, in any case. You watch the boy carefully as he leads you through winding tunnels, lit by burning torches. These are the servant's back routes then. All the seen rooms would use candles, not torches. The boy opens a door. He goes in, motioning for you to follow. The room you enter is huge, four times as big as your bottle. But... You shudder. Gamzee voices your unsaid fear. "What if you get trapped here, Karbro? What if blondie boy locks the door up tight and leaves you all alone with me?" The boy clears his throat. "So, djinn-boy, what's your name?" "Karkat Vantas." "Nice. I'm Dave, Dave LaStrider." Your breath hitches as he says that name. "Whoa, Karbro, just calm down, don't wanna die now, do ya?" "He can't kill me anyway, Gamzee. And it's your fault, too."  
==> Be the Perplexed Prince  
Ok, what? You finally learn the name of this boy, and now he's completely lost it. "He can't kill me anyway, Gamzee. And it’s your fault, too!" The boy-Karkat- snarls at the empty air to his left. "Your fault I got trapped for over FOUR HUNDRED FUCKING YEARS!" Karkat lunges at the air and falls flat on his face. This seems to snap him out of it. He sits up, holding his head and shudder-sighing to get his breath back to normal rate. You walk over to him, kneel and put a gentle hand on his arm. He starts when you touch him, then grabs you in a tight hug. You cautiously and awkwardly hug him back, feeling his tears seep through your shirt. "Please don't make me go back." He mumbles into your shirt. "I won't." You have no idea what he's talking about, but if it's enough to drive him mad, you certainly won't make him go there.  
==> Be Karkat  
Oh god. He's going to throw you out, he's going to put you back there, back in your bottle. The boy puts his hand on your shoulder. You jolt. You didn't see him walk over. Oh god, he's real. You grab him as tight as you can to make sure he's really really real. He doesn't disappear. You sob into his shirt, comforted by the new smells of something real. "Please don't make me go back." You wonder if he can hear you. "I won't." You let out a sigh of relief and sit up, letting go of him. You wipe away your tears and huff. "Sorry." The boy- Dave- shrugs and smiles. "S'okay." He grabs your hand and pulls you up. "Let's get you cleaned up.”  
==> Be Dave  
Karkat seems ok now. He's gotten whatever it was out of his system. You help him stand up, surveying his various cuts and bruises. "Let's get you cleaned up." You lead him over to the wash basin and have him sit on the chair. You turn to get the beer to clean his cuts. He understands what you're doing and slips off his shirt. The brand stands out. It's in the same shape as the wax seal on the bottle, and a brownish red, obvious on his white skin. His torso is covered in bruises, very apparent. He has a skinned elbow, and the cut you made on his cheek is an angry red. You carefully clean his cuts. You can tell that he's trying to stay still, but you can also tell from the way he's blinking that his first instinct is to run as far and as fast as he can away from you.  
Dave is staring at you. He covers it well, busying himself so he can't look at the same place for too long, but his eyes keep drifting back to your brand. And whatever he's doing HURTS. You want to run, run outside and away from this new pain, but you know that he thinks that whatever he's doing is helping and he's your only ally in this new world. And you really need an ally. Or a friend.  
You finish. Karkat puts his shirt back on. "Wait." You eye him up and get him new clothes from your closet. "Here." You throw them at him. He catches them and- is he smelling your clothes? Yep. Weird. He is apparently satisfied and starts putting on the new clothes. Well, you suppose that's what happens when you live alone for hundreds of years. "So what was it like in the past?" He turns towards you, amused.   
==> Remember  
"Djinn roamed across the lands, free. Not one of them had to care about binding spells or bottles. Until Gamzee came along. He captured every single one of us, turning us into slaves." You show Dave the brand. "We would never again breathe free air. From that moment on, we fought man's wars for him, sacrificing for a war we didn't believe in. There were some good people, though. Kanaya... Terezi... They saved me while they could." "How many djinn were there?" "As many as there are today- four thousand and seventeen." Dave sits down. "Oh my god. I'm sorry." "Why?" "Because you're the first djinn that's been in Stelten in the last four hundred years. The last djinn of Eldium were driven out and killed seventeen years ago. And there are none who stayed in Aldiereon. They're all gone. You're the only one left." "No..."  
==> Bear Bad News  
There is deep horror in his expression, mixed with fading disbelief as it sank in. "I can't be! There were four thousand and seventeen for more than three hundred years! There must be at least one other out there, someone like me, hidden." You shake your head. "That's why no one but me can see that." You tap Karkat's brand, hidden under his shirt. "And honestly, with your eyes you probably shouldn't interact with anyone outside of the castle, but-" There is a knock at the door and Rose enters.  
==> Be the Regal Female  
"Hello dear brother. Oh! And who's this? Has my baby brother made a friend?" You sweep towards the albino boy. He looks skinnier than Dave, underfed and shaggy-haired. You smile. "Rose. Pleasure to meet you." The boy is cautious. He looks up at you, careful not to offend. You see a newly healed cut across his cheek. "A pleasure, Miss LaStrider." He bows his head.


	4. Ransom and Royalty

==> Be the King  
There is a knock at your door. "Letter for you, sir." "Bring it in." The servant sets the letter on your desk and scurries off to his next menial task. The letter- if it can be called that - is marked with blood, the parchment yellow with age. You open it.  
'King LaStrider,  
I have Crown Prince Dirk LaStrider in my custody. If you do not send guards to the Valley of Rain in three days with 40,000 steles, I will slit his throat and string him up to die. As he is your firstborn son, and heir to the throne, I suggest you comply.  
Vriska Serket, Bandit Queen'  
The king raises his eyebrows and shakes his head slowly. Why, this solves his problem for him. He no longer has to execute the bastard. Dave and Rose would have never understood, anyways. The king sets the letter aside.


	5. A Tale of Two Princes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the moon found the sun  
> He looked like he was barely hanging on  
> But her eyes saved his life

==> Be the Unlucky Bastard  
The self-declared ‘Bandit Queen’ gets you up early. You’re not quite sure why, but that’s because one of her lackeys had knocked you out for ease of transport during the ride to the camp. Halfway through the ride to wherever it is you’re going, it becomes apparent that the camp is in the middle of absolutely nowhere. It takes until late afternoon to reach the destination, which you quickly realize is the Valley of Rain. It’s a borderland. Which means that she’s holding you for ransom. On the inside, you laugh. Vriska Serket, so-called Bandit Queen, thinks that she’s found quite a prize. A crown prince. You wonder if your father- no, the king- will even bother to show up. You doubt it. After all, who would care about a bastard? You watch Vriska, grinning and joking with her crew. How long will it take her to figure it out? As sunset approaches, she gets antsy, snapping at her crew as if the king’s absence is their fault, somehow. As the sun sets, she snarls and turns to you, murder in her eyes. “Why the hell do people have to be so annoyingly stupid? I mean really!” She steps towards you, sword held at waist level. You try to get away, to somehow avoid the blade advancing quickly towards your abdomen, but you fail. The sword skewers you, and all you can think of is pain, pain, pain. You vaguely feel yourself collapse, knees buckling. You see her face as she kneels. Her hands feel out your pockets, taking various tidbits you had taken from the castle. Taking the last of your home.  
You breathe what must be your last breaths. The bandit queen stands up. You hear her horse trot off. You groan. Why did you think it was a good idea to run out of the castle? At least there you were safe, if unwanted. You see your vision blacking out as a haze descends over your thoughts. This is the end, then.  
==> Be the Pursuing Prince  
Your name is Jake, and you love to be out of the castle! Not that you hate your folks, but it's just so stuffy in there. You follow the deer for hours, creeping through the underbrush. There is a vaguely person-like shape in the valley. You frown. You shift, and the deer runs off. You fire a token shot and miss. Ah well. You might as well investigate now. The valley walls are slippery with fallen leaves, but you make your way down without incident. You check and- yep, that's a person. You carefully turn him over, in case he's still alive. You see his bound hands before- "Oh my god." He's been stabbed. He’s still warm and breathing though, so he may survive this yet. You carefully lift him up and start walking as fast as you can back home. He’s much heavier than he looks!  
==> Be Dirk  
You wake up to the morning light. You try to shift and grimace. It feels like you got run over by the royal entourage. "Hey! You're awake!" Your vision is suddenly filled with worried green eyes and a mop of black hair. You try to talk, but learn that you can only grunt. The face frowns and moves back, putting his head on your bed. You're on a bed. Ok, that's a start. You look around, slowly, so slowly. The ceiling is wooden, as are the walls. Through the window you can see... Trees. The man sitting next to you does not seem much older than you are. He's sort of cute, now that you look at him. Ok, back to the room. There's a door at the end of your bed, furs on the floor and the bed. There is a mounted pair of antlers above the door. Ok, this must be some sort of hunting lodge. That's alright for now. You feel the darkness rising up again, and you fall asleep.  
==> Be Jake  
You bring the poor bloke to your nearest structure. In this case, it's your favorite hunting lodge. It's a good thing no one expects you back for a week. He's much heavier than he looks. You set him down in the bed and walk over to the door. It closes easily. You find the bandages exactly where you left them: the mantle above the fireplace, with the whiskey. You bring it into the bedroom and pour some of the whiskey on the bandages. You take out your knife and carefully cut off his shirt. You set it to the side and start cleaning with the whiskey. You bandage him quickly, as the stab wound is still quite fresh and bleeding quite a bit. After you finish, you cover him with the furs. It's cold, after all, and he's lost a lot of blood. You sit in the chair. You squirm a bit, and then you jump up and start pacing. You can't sit still. Who is he? Why was he stabbed? Probably bandits. There are a lot of them around the Valley, since it's a border. You hear something move behind you and turn to see him moving. You rush over. "Hey! You're awake!" His eyes are the color of molten gold, perfectly framed by his freckles. You can ask him what he was doing in the woods, you can learn his name, you- He grunts. Oh. Well, not yet then. Oh well. You should have expected this, but... You put your head down on his bed. You're so stupid! Of course he can't respond yet. He just got stabbed, for God's sake! You hear his breathing quiet and look up. He's asleep. Wonderful. You plop your head back down and fall asleep.


End file.
